Kira punched the cushion of her chair. "Where'd you get this chair?"
It was amazingly uncomfortable.
"Are you here to criticize my design choices?"
There was the clink of ice as Jace finished preparing a drink. He set the spoon he was using aside before snagging the three glasses of amber liquor.
Kira raised an eyebrow as he set the drink in front of her. "Alcohol? At a time like this?"
When an attack could come at any moment and from anywhere?
"Desperate times," Jace answered, taking the armchair across from her.
"What's going on?" Kira asked Raider as Jace took a large swig of his drink.
"Will you look at that, Nixxy poo?" the J1N crooned, drifting down from overhead. "We've finally driven our knight in shining armor to drink."
Jace regarded the J1N over the rim of his glass. "Its level of mimicry is simply amazing. Is that the work of that criminal you told us was dead?"
Kira cast a narrow eyed glare at Raider.
"Don't blame him, I figured out your friend's identity on my own," Jace said with a humorless smile. "Why did you tell Himoto and I they were dead?"
"Oops, I must have gotten it wrong all those years ago," Kira said flatly.
"I'm going to leave aside the fact you lied about that criminal. An action that predates Rothchild and your suspicion of a traitor in our ranks by several years to focus on what's really important." Jace put his drink down on the makeshift crate that was acting as an end table and leaned forward. "What's the plan, here, Phoenix? Do you have any idea how you're going to do this thing you're talking about? Because I asked Raider and he's a little vague on details."
"I have an inkling," Kira said, grudgingly.
A vague one at that.
Establishing the Tsavitee home world location was simply step one. It was what came after that was truly important.
That part she was still working on.
Jace groaned. "You two can't really expect me to authorize this."
"Why not? Himoto did it all the time."
Raider nodded, looking over at her. "Remember Idra? I so thought we were dead on that one."
Jace cut their trip down memory lane off with a sharp gesture. "Don't even think about it. I'm not sending my people on a suicide mission without a clear plan."
Kira gave him a sidelong look. "Does that mean you're planning on helping us?"
Jace looked away from her, tugging his ear in a gesture that usually meant he was feeling guilty about something. "It seems the Consortium have finally got their heads out of their collective asses. I've been ordered to dispatch my fleet to form a barricade around our core planets in an effort to protect them from the coming war."
Kira's snort held disgust. "You know that's a mistake."
The Consortium couldn't win with a defensive mindset. They needed to strike hard and fast. Sitting around and letting the enemy come to them would just result in massive casualties again.
"Protecting the idiots who put us in this position is a fool's errand," Raider said.
"I swore an oath," Jace said defensively. "Like it or not, I answer to Centcom. It is my duty and responsibility to follow their orders."
"Not me." Raider shook his head. "I'm not doing it. I'll resign my commission. I don't care what you do, but I'm going after Elise and Elena. Try and stop me."
Knowing he wasn't going to be able to get through to Raider, Jace switched his target to Kira. "Give me something. Do you have a location or plan?"
